View the video and comments via the Shine on Social Without Selling Your Soul Facebook group HERE

Are you done with the slimy, icky, sleazy feelings that come up whenever you think about selling your services?

Then this post is written for you!

If you’re anything like me, I know that when you started your business you did it out of LOVE for what you do and your ability to make a difference (hello, heart-centred entrepreneur!).

But I also know from the conversations I have in my DMs and on discovery calls that so many of us have a life-long perception where we associate ‘selling’ with icky, dodgy techniques. Even reading about selling probably brings up an experience or memory of when you were ‘sold to’,- an experience I’m guessing that you didn’t like the feeling of at all.

Naturally, when it comes to selling your services and products you don’t want to make other people feel that way too, right?

The thing is, this belief can create a block towards sharing our products and services with our customers – aka selling what we do and how we help. (You might even feel resistance in your body now just from reading this!)

You and I both know that a business is not really a business if it doesn’t make sales. I want you to know that you don’t EVER have to move into that slimy sales energy to make an abundance of sales in your business, in fact, you can most definitely feel GREAT about the idea of selling.

And I’ll let you in on a secret: I didn’t always feel super positive about selling either.

But these days my view is that it’s the *best* possible thing I can do to serve my people.

By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll be able to understand why and embody that belief too!

Ok, let’s go…

Feel-good selling tip #1 – Connection before conversion

Have you ever gone into a discovery call with this thought top of mind:

‘How am I going to be able to convert this person to a customer/client by the end of this call?’

With all the online conversations about conversion percentages, closing on discovery calls, etc, it’s easy to end up a bit obsessed with ‘conversion rates’, but it’s not where your focus needs to be.

I’m not saying that caring about ‘conversion’ is a bad thing – after all, that’s how we generate clients!

But how about this instead: focus on connecting first. Make the ways in which you can connect with your peeps a priority rather than being consumed with making the sale.

Whenever I’m having a conversation with a potential client or interacting with anyone in my business, I’m always looking at forming a connection first.

What does this actually look like?

…asking questions.

…getting to know them.

…having conversations where you truly listen.

Truly listening means not getting caught up with thoughts about ‘what do I say next? How do I get this potential client to like me? How do I come across as smart/intelligent/capable?’, but instead listening with the full intent to understand.

(If you’re a coach, you have a massive advantage at this because you already know how to listen to people!)

When you focus on connecting at that deeper level, you naturally become aware of what that person actually needs and if they have a problem that you can help solve – and we are all in the business of solving problems for our people.

If what that person actually needs is you and your services, it’s going to be SO much easier to share exactly how you can support them.

This approach puts you 100% into the energy of service. Can you see how this energy is TOTALLY different from selling to someone when you know you can’t support them in the way they need?

Focus on connection before conversion and you’ll be able to build a business that serves your people, gives them the solutions they want, and develops your reputation for being an amazing service provider. And THAT, beauty, is how you build an incredible business!

Feel-good selling tip #2 – Identify the promo that feels good

To build a sustainable, successful business – whether it’s online or offline and regardless of what niche you’re in – marketing in some form is essential.

But the kind of marketing you do is completely up to you!

We’re surrounded by messages like, ‘I made six figures through this one funnel’, and, ‘I was able to build and grow my community because of this ONE thing’, but let me tell you – the days of cookie-cutter formulas for business success are long. Gone. If you’re a coach and you look at leading successful coaches, you’re not going to find one unifying thing that they have all done that shot them through the stratosphere or completely changed their business.

What this means that instead of looking for the ultimate ‘one-size-fits all’, you need to figure out what kind of marketing YOU feel connected with.

Once you experiment and explore and determine what works best for you, selling is going to feel so much more natural when you’re doing it in a way that aligns with your strengths. It’s going to be much easier to stay in the energy you need and promote your products and services in a way that feels good.

A little word of warning here: ‘aligning with strengths’ doesn’t mean allowing your fear to take over. And there’s a difference between something feeling natural, and something feeling comfortable.

Take a moment to recognise if mental chatter like this comes up:

‘I don’t need to do live video, I’ve just never been good at public speaking… I’ll just choose other things…’

When you allow these thoughts to run the show, you deprive yourself of the chance to grow and discover something new in yourself. I challenge you to check in with yourself to discover whether something is not a good fit for you, or whether it’s fear talking.

Here’s a great question to ask:

‘If I’m operating out of love over fear, what is the best way to connect with my ideal client?’

When I ask myself this question and I’m honest with my answer, here’s what I come up with: it’s through showing up on video, pitching myself to speak on stages, sharing on IG stories, and showing my face to my community. That is the energy that I need to most be in to connect with my people.

What’s yours?

Feel-good selling tip #3 – Sell with permission

This point I can’t claim as my own, as Seth Godin (one of the world’s best brains in marketing!) came up with this concept! It is SO worth sharing.

Here’s Seth’s definition of permission marketing:

“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to receive them.”

You can think of selling with permission to be a bit like dating. You don’t ask for the sale straight off!

You start by making a good impression and you earn the right over time to ask for a second date.

You earn that privilege, bit by bit.

Here are a couple of examples of permission:

Someone signing up for your emails.

Someone who engages with you in your DMs.

And here’s an example of what permission marketing ISN’T:

Sliding into someone’s DMs and without a conversation, pitching you on their products or services.

That person hasn’t cultivated a relationship with you, so they haven’t earned the right to sell to you. If this has happened to you, then you can recall the icky feeling that brings up, right?

Permission marketing is about giving people the opportunity to be warmed up to you.

It means when someone has signed up for your emails and accesses the valuable content you create, they WANT to hear from you. Their continued presence gives you permission to say, ‘hey, this is how I can support you’.

This is something to remind yourself of next time you’re about to share a post on your feed or email your list about your services!

These three feel-good ways to sell (without any sight of sleaze) show why it’s so important to show up for your community, continue to get to know your people over time, and create that connection and permission to then sell your products and services.

Want to find out more about how to best connect with your people on social media? Take the Shine on Social quiz to discover how you shine on social media based on your personality!

Big love,

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Ellie Swift is a Mindset & Marketing Coach, Social Media Strategist, writer and speaker for ambitious women who are ready to share their unique blend of magic with the world and TRULY be seen, so that they can connect authentically with their customers online (and grow their heart-centred businesses!)
Ellie spent the last decade working in marketing in London, Sydney and Perth, achieving her goal of Head of Marketing Strategy for a private agency in Perth, Western Australia by the age of 28, before making the transition into the coaching world to support service-based business owners in the online space. Ellie has been described by her clients as “empowering, inspiring and a wealth of marketing knowledge”, and is passionate about encouraging women to cultivate a success mindset and thrive as solopreneurs. Posted in Business, Marketing, Social Media | 0 comment

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Truly….what Ellie Swift doesn’t know about social media is not actually worth knowing! She is whip smart in all things social and combines this incredible knowledge with a lot of heart and soul on how best to use it to inspire and attract clients.

Everything that Ellie does in the realm of social media is worth following and actioning. You couldn’t learn from anyone better.

Since working with Ellie I’m much more confident in putting myself out there, and I’m no longer shying away from the opportunities to do so. Before, I was afraid of being to salesy. I realised that I was doing not only myself but my audience a disservice by not sharing the transforming message and services that my business has to offer.

Because I am now boldly putting myself out there, I’m seeing more leads than ever before who are aligned with my brand’s message.

My previous launches of my online program the Youth Mentor Training have been going well, all with steady enrolments but I wanted to take it to the next level! Ohhh I just knew i wanted to work with Ellie!

Ellie has gone above and beyond with detailed strategy, and is an epic cheerleader. I felt incredibly supported and can’t thank her enough.

The framework for launch strategy that Ellie shared with me was the most helpful… she provided a container for all the random-ness that I often do during launches and made it 1000 times better!

When I started coaching with Ellie, I had just joined the Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy and was very excited to embark on the coaching journey and starting my own business.

I needed a strategy and a vision of what it could all look like. Ellie helped support me with transitioning from my 9-5 job to a part time job, with ease, so that I could focus more on my coaching business.

I’ve completely changed my life. The biggest change I’ve witnessed in myself is that I feel like I am where I am meant to be. I have my dream schedule, working part time whilst building my business.

Before our coaching series, I never intended to take this step so soon, but Ellie’s encouragement helped me to feel supported to take the leap. Ellie’s expertise in marketing really helped me to discover my niche and ideal client – which was an area I was confused about for so long!

You can’t help but absorb Ellie’s beautiful high vibes. She is such a life-changer! Thank you so much Ellie! I am super grateful.

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Truly….what Ellie Swift doesn’t know about social media is not actually worth knowing! She is whip smart in all things social and combines this incredible knowledge with a lot of heart and soul on how best to use it to inspire and attract clients.

Everything that Ellie does in the realm of social media is worth following and actioning. You couldn’t learn from anyone better.

Since working with Ellie I’m much more confident in putting myself out there, and I’m no longer shying away from the opportunities to do so. Before, I was afraid of being to salesy. I realised that I was doing not only myself but my audience a disservice by not sharing the transforming message and services that my business has to offer.

Because I am now boldly putting myself out there, I’m seeing more leads than ever before who are aligned with my brand’s message.

My previous launches of my online program the Youth Mentor Training have been going well, all with steady enrolments but I wanted to take it to the next level! Ohhh I just knew i wanted to work with Ellie!

Ellie has gone above and beyond with detailed strategy, and is an epic cheerleader. I felt incredibly supported and can’t thank her enough.

The framework for launch strategy that Ellie shared with me was the most helpful… she provided a container for all the random-ness that I often do during launches and made it 1000 times better!

When I started coaching with Ellie, I had just joined the Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy and was very excited to embark on the coaching journey and starting my own business.

I needed a strategy and a vision of what it could all look like. Ellie helped support me with transitioning from my 9-5 job to a part time job, with ease, so that I could focus more on my coaching business.

I’ve completely changed my life. The biggest change I’ve witnessed in myself is that I feel like I am where I am meant to be. I have my dream schedule, working part time whilst building my business.

Before our coaching series, I never intended to take this step so soon, but Ellie’s encouragement helped me to feel supported to take the leap. Ellie’s expertise in marketing really helped me to discover my niche and ideal client – which was an area I was confused about for so long!

You can’t help but absorb Ellie’s beautiful high vibes. She is such a life-changer! Thank you so much Ellie! I am super grateful.

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Ellie is such a superstar coach! I came into the coaching series with her feeling seriously confused about my purpose and passions and I desperately wanted to know what the next step was for me in my business.

Ellie was able to lovingly guide and support me to discover who I really am and what I really want, and then go about making that a reality. If you’re looking for a coach to help you take you to the next level, I can’t recommend Ellie enough!

I have been able to fully open my heart to Ellie, trusting and knowing that she is a complete safe space to express myself. Ellie has helped me navigate through personal hurdles, giving me strength and courage to pursue my wildest dreams and make them a success.

I would highly recommend Ellie to anyone who might require a little direction & motivation because she gives that to me, lighting me up every time I see her. To anyone who thinks they might need a little support, guidance and endless amounts of love, because we all know life can get on top of us sometimes and its a whole lot better when you don’t have to tackle it alone.

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Before I met Ellie, I knew I had the passion, determination and amazing vision inside of me, but I also felt like I was pushing up against something that was holding me back. With Ellie’s help I was able to smash through my ‘glass celing’ – not once, not twice, but three times! It was invigorating!

Working through my coaching series with Ellie was so instrumental in the launch of my business. Ellie builds her coaching series with soul, compassion and energy to support you to succeed. She truly ‘Ellie-vates’ you by unlocking your truest potential and revealing your own power. I am so fortunate to have Ellie as my personal business coach, secret weapon and cheerleader. I really encourage you to reach out to Ellie so you can experience your own beautiful and empowering journey!

I can see all the heart I brought to my business would have never been enough without being supported by a coach expert like Ellie.

When I finally had my first session with Ellie I was absolutely hooked on the wealth of information, tips, hacks and legitimate methods of digital marketing that I had absolutely no idea about. What’s more, she has coached me through the process of growing my business so I am able to work ‘on’ my business rather than ‘in’ my business.

I feel SO fortunate to have worked with Ellie – I had no idea how much I could gain from a coaching series! Ellie’s expertise in coaching, marketing strategy, leadership and her sparkly personality helped me to really activate my passions and generate clarity on a business that I am creating outside of my day job.

Ellie has such a knack for distilling her client’s strengths which I found really empowering, and she fully supported me with practical frameworks and honest conversations to enable me to make progress on creating a more aligned life for myself.

Ellie has totally expanded what I believe to be possible and available in creating a soulful biz and I’m so grateful for her support, wisdom and sparkle and I really highly recommend everything she has to offer.